


Take a Second Look

by northofthehouse



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, OT3, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Seduction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23258560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/northofthehouse/pseuds/northofthehouse
Summary: Sehun and Minseok were always open to the possibility of more, they just weren't actively searching for it. Not until a few chance encounters brought Kai into the mix, that is.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Jongin | Kai/Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Oh Sehun, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Oh Sehun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	1. Trouble, Trouble, Be My Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted on AFF. (Possibly) Also a repeat post to AO3 from my previously orphaned account (I don't remember what I posted and what I didn't). Not plagiary!

Minseok was bored. He and Sehun went to underground dance clubs all the time, but tonight Sehun was technically supposed to be working; in other words, no dance partner for Minseok. His boyfriend would have happily allowed him to find someone else with whom to dance, and usually Minseok actually would, but tonight he was simply too lazy.

"Go have fun," Sehun had urged earlier when Minseok groaned suddenly and twisted sideways to crack his back.

"No fun without you," was Minseok's reply, "at least not tonight."

Sehun had sighed but nodded, knowing how stubborn his older boyfriend could be. He went back to scanning the crowd for potential scholarship students and Minseok went back to his drink.

As more time passed and the night got later, Minseok stopped drinking and instead turned to gaze down to the ground level and join his boyfriend in people watching. He knew Sehun was only looking at the dancer's because his internship for the university's dance department required it of him, but unlike his boyfriend, Minseok ended up genuinely enjoying himself. Every once in a while Minseok would point out a particular dancer who's caught his interest, and Sehun would either nod or comment something like, "Sexy style but look, his rhythm's a little off," or "I like his footwork but his posture's horrible—that'd be a hard thing to fix at his age." Those offhanded asides were the reason Sehun studied dance to make a living and Minseok just danced for fun.

By the time they passed the midnight mark, Sehun had selected a few dancers for his short list and left Minseok in the loft while he went to talk to them. He kissed his boyfriend once and then pecked Minseok sweetly on the forehead before descending the stairs and disappearing into the crowd. During the day, Sehun's platinum hair in a crowd of near-black was hard to miss, but in the flashing strobe lights of the club, even his boyfriend had a hard time pointing him out.

Though the people watching had been entertaining for a while, Minseok soon grew bored once more and ended up staring off into space with his cheeks puffed and his lips pouting. He sat like that for half an hour or so, foot tapping subconsciously to the occasional song he recognized and sometimes even mouthing along to some of the words. Sehun emerged at random intervals as well, but he was always deeply enmeshed in conversation and barely counted as a distraction from Minseok's boredom.

As such, it was a blessed relief when a voice pulled him from his boredom with a low and sultry, "Where'd your boyfriend go?"

Minseok liked people, and he especially liked people who entertained him when he was bored, so he didn't really mind the confidence of the random stranger to come up and talk to him after seeing that Sehun wasn't around.

"Working," Minseok replied, not trying to sound short but not really bothered to elaborate; if the guy was interested, he'd ask something else.

Which he did. "And he just left you here by yourself?" The guy's voice was disbelieving but not in a creepy, make-Minseok-doubt-Sehun kind of way. He just sounded a little concerned. "I'm only asking," he elaborated when Minseok looked across the couch at him and seemed completely nonplussed, "because you look kind of bored out of your mind."

"Oh my god," Minseok's sudden outburst surprised them both but when he giggled afterward in embarrassment the guy just smiled at him—genuinely, too. "You don't even understand. I thought I was going to have to start counting my fingerprint lines or something."

The guy chuckled at that and teased, "In this lighting? Wow, you really are bored." Minseok watched as the other guy licked his lips, seeming suddenly nervous, before asking tentatively, "Would he—I mean, would your boyfriend—care if I asked you to dance?"

He'd never completely lost his original confidence, but once Minseok repeated a dramatic "Oh my god!" and followed that up with a "Please do," the guy's confident smirk returned and his shoulders straightened almost noticeably.

"Really?" He sounded surprised and a little skeptical. "Are you sure? He's hot but I feel like your boyfriend wouldn't hesitate to beat someone up for you."

The guy's comment piqued Minseok's interest even further—usually, if he was someone's type, Sehun definitely wasn't. It was that which confirmed Minseok's desire to finally vacate the loft couch, abandon his drink, and grab the guy by the wrist to pull him down the stairs so they could dance.

"I'm very sure," he purred into the guy's ear as they moved toward the center of the writhing mass of dancing bodies, and Minseok is pretty sure he felt the taller man shudder against him.

"In that case," the man declared, pleasantly surprising Minseok by flipping him around and pulling him close so Minseok's back was flush against the man's chest, "let's dance."

Minseok soon lost himself in the music and the feel of the man grinding rhythmically against him; his boredom was gone and his mood was vastly improved, so when he spotted Sehun across the club and caught his boyfriend's eye briefly, Minseok winked slyly and licked his lips. He could see Sehun's lips as they curled into a nearly feral grin, and Minseok couldn't wait until his boyfriend was finished working so they could go back to his apartment and have some fun. Maybe it would be just the two of them, but then again, maybe not—Minseok's new friend definitely seemed interested.


	2. You Just Don't Know It

Sehun was bored. He was a senior now so he should be used to professors who preferred lectures about dance instead of the physical study of it, but he wasn't. He also happened to be utterly exhausted because he and Minseok hadn't gotten back from the club until like 3 am that morning, and even then hadn't actually slept until maybe 5. He'd had fun and he didn't regret his additional extracurricular activities, he just wished there were more than 24 hours in a day.

That or for the ability to travel back in time and keep himself from making the horrible decision of a 9 am class on Monday mornings. Admittedly, even a time machine wouldn't have made much of an impact on his schedule; he needed this advanced kinetic physiology class to graduate and there was no way in hell Sehun was staying in school any longer than necessary.

His boyfriend felt differently about learning, and he was constantly nagging for Sehun to take additional tutoring, to go to office hours, to make friends with his TA's, etc. Sehun hated it because he hated school and only tolerated other people, but he loved Minseok at least so Sehun did it for him. With a groan and a collapse of his head into the folded pillow of his arm on the desk, Sehun remembered that he'd actually signed up for office hours with his showcase advisor that day. There was nothing worse than thinking he had the rest of his day free only to realize that directly following a freaking three hour lecture, he had something else academic to attend to.

At least he hadn't had this class yet—the semester had started randomly on a Wednesday this time around—so maybe Sehun would get lucky and the professor would read through the syllabus and then let them go in less than an hour. Upper level classes were notoriously more strenuous so that wasn't very likely, but on a day like today Sehun would take all the hope he could get.

As it turned out, the professor _did_ end up going over the syllabus and letting them out about 50 minutes in, but it was only for a break—much to Sehun's disappointment. He sighed loudly and rubbed tiredly at the bags under his eyes, choosing to rest on an arm instead of leave the room for snacks or the bathroom like most of his other classmates.

He was half-way into a really pleasant daydream reminiscing of his and Minseok's earlier activities when a student sitting a row behind him tapped him on the shoulder. "You okay there?"

Sehun lifted his head slowly and turned around to look at the boy who'd interrupted his break. "Tired," he replied, trying his best to sound short and impatient so the guy would realize he didn't want to elaborate; if the guy was smart, he'd take a hint and leave Sehun alone.

Which apparently, he wasn't. Sehun was about to return to his lucid nap when the guy nodded in sympathetic understanding. "Late night?"

Sehun wanted to grumble at him, but his classmate was relatively cute and he didn't want to hear it from Minseok later if he passed up a good opportunity like that one, so he just nodded once, imperceptibly.

"You hungover, too?" The guy wanted to know, and Sehun thought he could glimpse a hint of puffiness around his eyes.

A thought occurred to him suddenly and he shook his head. "No," Sehun answered before adding his first actual contribution to their conversation. "Why? Are you?"

"A little." The guy looked sheepish but Sehun had _literally_ spent his night in an underground dance club, so he wasn't one to talk.

"Hey," he held up his hands to show no harm and said, "no judgement here. The only reason I'm not hungover is because I had to work."

"That sucks," was all the guy managed to reply before their professor tapped his watch, claimed that it had been 10 minutes already, and launched directly into his lecture.

By the end of the three hours, Sehun's butt was numb from lack of movement, his fingers were numb from taking notes, and his brain was numb from information overload. To top it all off, the professor had already started talking seriously about their semester project, Sehun was too purposefully antisocial to actively find himself a partner without Minseok's nagging, and he had to practically rush out the door to make it to his 12:15 meeting about his showcase.

He was in such a rush, in fact, that he must have unknowingly dropped his campus ID as he hurried to pack up his things because when Sehun neared the door, there stood his hungover classmate with Sehun's ID in hand.

"Dude," Sehun exhaled gratefully as he returned the card to his back pocket and half-smiled at his savior, "You just totally saved my ass. You don't even know. Thanks."

When the guy shook his head and said that the only thanks he would accept was for Sehun to be his project partner for the semester, Sehun had to wonder if maybe his ID hadn't actually fallen out of his pocket after all. Either way, he had acquired a partner without any effort on his part—and even Sehun could grin and begrudgingly admit to Minseok later that the guy's approach had been a pretty ingenious one.

"We're supposed to meet at a cafe tomorrow to discuss potential project ideas. Wanna come?" Sehun invited his boyfriend as they snuggled together on his bed after Sehun got back from his showcase meeting.

"Are you kidding me?" Minseok grinned up at Sehun and kissed his boyfriend, his lips lingering to nip playfully at Sehun's bottom one. "This guy got you to participate in an actual conversation the very first time you met. I've _absolutely_ got to meet him."

They kissed lazily for a while, Minseok on Sehun's lap with his arms around his boyfriend's neck as he played with Sehun's nape in between kisses.

"That tickles," Sehun mumbled against Minseok's lips.

"Sorry," Minseok buried his face in Sehun's neck, but the former was insincere because the latter could definitely feel the curl of a smile and the self-satisfied puff of his boyfriend's cheeks against his skin. "Is he hot?" Minseok wondered aloud, almost as an after-thought, since Sehun had assumed that particular conversation to be over ages ago.

"Who? Kai?" He asked, revealing the his classmate's name to Minseok for the first time. When Minseok nodded eagerly—the guy's name was attractive, at the very least— Sehun grinned. "Very," he confirmed feelingly with a wink at Minseok when his boyfriend pulled back so they could face each other. "Why? You planning on seducing him?"

"Maybe," Minseok admitted instantly, sounding almost half sincere before he got distracted by the pretty angles of Sehun's collarbone and jawline. Emitting a small roar, Minseok returned to Sehun's neck, but this time with his tongue and teeth and not his mischievous smile.

Sehun thought about that for a moment, imagining what it would feel like if his Kai were there too, right then, enjoying each other as they were. It occurred to him that the image he'd conjured up didn't actually look too bad, so when he soon moaned loudly, it wasn't just at the feel of Minseok's lips as they suckled bruises into Sehun's sensitive skin. He moaned also at the pleasant picture in his head; the one that had him, Minseok, and Kai _together_.


	3. Things I've Felt But I've Never Said

Minseok talked a big game when his tongue was tangled with Sehun's and his boyfriend's arms were around him to pull him close—or else when shadowed by the darkness and pulsing rhythm of his favorite dance clubs—but when it came to actual human interaction in daylight, Sehun was by far the better one. Strangely enough, though Minseok loved people in theory, practically speaking he was a little terrified of them. That's what made him and Sehun so awesome together—because Sehun didn't like people at all, but his interpersonal skills were actually pretty great, especially once he got comfortable.

This side of Sehun was the reason Minseok was almost hiding behind Sehun's arm as they walked into the cafe to meet Kai, and why Sehun, who was now completely into the idea of Operation Classmate Seduction, was grinning widely—well, it was a wide grin for him—and doing his best to be a reassuring boyfriend. He knew that Minseok would probably adore Kai once they met, but until then he was content to let his boyfriend hang off his arm and nervously press his face into Sehun's shoulder.

"Oh god," Minseok fretted, "what if he thinks it's weird that you brought your boyfriend with you for a class-related meeting? What if he doesn't like me? What if he's even more attractive than you said and I'm not ready?"

"Min," Sehun ordered, knowing that almost brutish bossiness was the only way to redeem Minseok once he got like this. "Chill, okay? If he doesn't like you then that's his problem, right?"

Minseok nodded shakily, but Sehun could feel the tightness of his grip through Sehun's shirt.

"Besides," Sehun added, doing his best to sound disinterested so that Minseok would realize how interested he truly was, "it's not like you were serious about the whole seducing him thing, were you?"

His boyfriend's face colored noticeably as he mumbled out in a tentative whisper, "Would it make you angry if I kind of was?"

Sehun smiled down at Minseok and relaxed his shoulders ever so slightly as he kissed the top of his boyfriend's head and turned their bodies so they could both look at the menu together. "Not at all," he confessed into Minseok's hair, arms around his boyfriend's shoulders as he looked around the cafe for Kai.

Minseok caught the movement and glanced around too, though it wouldn't have done much good because he didn't know who he was looking for. They ordered their drinks and then stood off to the side to wait, and every time someone came in and made the bell jingle, Sehun could feel Minseok's shoulders tense.

"Relax, baby." Sehun kissed little hearts onto the back of Minseok's neck and ran his hands up and down his boyfriend's arms to try and help de-stress him.

Minseok sighed heavily and Sehun was sad for him because Minseok really was trying, he knew that. Sehun opened his mouth to provide more encouragement when Minseok's mouth dropped and he pointed surreptitiously toward a tall brunette who'd just come in.

"Sehun-ah," Minseok hissed in excitement as he gestured toward the guy who's head was down yet still seemed vaguely familiar, "it's the guy! The one from the club who hit on me while you were working. The one I danced with!"

"The one who thought we were both attractive?" Sehun confirmed in amazement.

"Exactly!" In Minseok's excitement, his voice became increasingly loud and that last outburst was high enough in volume to accidentally get the other guy's attention, even from across the room.

"Oh!" The guy said as he looked up from the noise and saw them standing there staring at him. "Sehun! I was just about to—You!" His outburst was sudden and echoed Sehun's thoughts exactly as all three of them realized exactly what was happening.

The guy practically leapt across the room and the lithe movement proved what a shame it was for Kai to be studying occupational therapy and not dance. "This is your boyfriend?" He asked a gaping Minseok, once he was close enough to communicate without yelling. "The one who left you to be bored and didn't care when he saw you dancing with another guy?"

"The one and only," Sehun interjected, not sure if he likes Kai's tone.

"Whoops," Kai looked sheepish. "It's just that he's so pretty," he gestured to Minseok as he spoke and the subject of his compliment blushed, "that I'd be too nervous about losing him to someone else if I left him alone. You are a brave man, my friend."

Kai patted Sehun on the back as he said this and the latter had to withhold his grimace—they weren't friends yet, not exactly anyway. Though, if they way Minseok was biting his lip and staring starry-eyed at Sehun's classmate was any indication of his boyfriend's interest, Sehun figured they'd probably be a lot more than friends very soon.


	4. Trust Me, I Can Take You There

Kai was bored. It was two days after he'd met Sehun and officially Minseok, and Kai had been looking forward to seeing the former in class again. Honestly, Kai wanted to see the latter too, but he didn't have anything in common with Minseok other than their initial attraction and an appreciation for dancing, so it was a lot harder to get together than it was with Sehun.

Except today Sehun wasn't in class like Kai had expected and hoped he would be, so Kai had nothing nice to look at while the professor droned on. As such, he spent most of the hour and fifteen minutes with his head on his physiology textbook, taking a nap, and only bothered getting up to leave once it was over because there happened to be another class in there after his and that professor actually took attendance like this was still 8th grade.

Roused from his slumber, and more than a little put out by that, Kai decided that if he was so irrationally upset by Sehun's absence, then he might as well stop by his new friend's dorm to see why he'd missed. Kai, of course, had no clue that Sehun's dorm was actually Sehun and Minseok's on-campus apartment, so he was certainly shocked when his knock at the door was answered, but not by Sehun.

"Kai!" Minseok squeaked, embarrassed by his own state of undress as he stood before Sehun's beautiful classmate wrapped in nothing but a gray cotton bedsheet.

Sehun emerged from the shadows of the apartment's front room when he heard Kai's name, but he seemed much less bothered by Minseok's clothing—or lack there of—than Kai had thought he would be.

Kai tried not to stare at Minseok's milky white shoulder as Sehun wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist and accidentally pulled the sheet down to expose it. Not staring was hard, though, because Sehun was wearing very little himself, and everything about his posture and stance screamed "Look at me!" Or it did to Kai, at least.

He blushed in embarrassment, not at their attire but at his own presumption of showing up at their door for an answer as if he owned the place and as if Sehun was required to. When he tried to apologize, though, neither of the other males would let him; instead, Minseok clutched tightly at the sheet with one hand while beckoning Kai in with the other, and Sehun just smiled and nodded as if that was totally alright.

"I'm not interrupting anything?" They looked to be genuinely welcoming, but Kai was still unsure.

"Oh you were," Sehun admitted, not sounding mad about it at all. "But we can always pick up from where we left off." He paused to wink at Kai as the other stepped over the threshold. "And maybe this time you'll join us."

Minseok squawked—because together they'd agreed to pursue Operation Classmate Seduction, but they certainly hadn't discussed being so obvious about it—and hit his boyfriend squarely in the chest. Unfortunately for him, the hand he used for his punishing assault of Sehun's upper body was _not_ the one used to welcome Kai, and soon Minseok's cheeks were flaming as he scrambled to catch the sheet before the entirety of it billowed to the floor.

He was successful, but only sort of, and managed to accidentally expose his entire naked body to Kai in the process. Sehun told Minseok later that his one mistake alone had possibly done more in their pursuit of Kai than anything else. Kai had been noticeably distracted for the short duration of his time in Sehun and Minseok's front room, and Sehun felt confident that it was because Kai had gotten a little uncomfortably excited by Minseok on display. When Minseok wanted to know how Sehun was so sure, his boyfriend said, "I saw it. He was obviously hard."

"Well," Minseok admitted with a sly grin, much more confident to be lewd and cheeky now that they were alone once more, "it's a good thing I was wearing a sheet, then, because he certainly wasn't the only one!"


	5. Damn, Baby, This Love is Skin Tight

Kai liked Oh Sehun immensely, and almost immediately too, but he was beginning to think the guy was up to something.

There were a lot of reasons for this, but the one on Kai's mind most prominently in that moment was the sight of Minseok as he once more opened the door to Kai's knock while once more wearing very little. It wasn't a bedsheet today—and thank _god_ , too, because Kai wasn't sure he could handle that a second time—but the lacy pajama shorts and the low-hanging apron left very little to Kai's imagination, especially now that he knew what everything looked like underneath.

"Kai!" Minseok squeaked in surprise, as he considered attempting to cover himself but then realized Kai had already seen it all. "Um, Sehun isn't here." He bit his lip and Kai had to bite his own to hold back an almost involuntary moan. "Sorry."

_That_ was exactly why Kai was increasingly suspicious of his semester project partner. Minseok, Kai believed, was an innocent victim in all this because anyone with eyes could see that what had happened the day before—the Seok-Sposé, as he was calling it in his head—had been entirely accidental. Except Kai's erection had _also_ been on display for anyone with eyes to see, and Kai was almost certain that Sehun, at least, had noticed it. If that were the case, then—and Kai thought that it was—Sehun must have known when he'd asked for the notes he'd missed that when Kai brought them over, he and Minseok would be together, and alone.

"Is he, uh," Kai hesitated because he wasn't sure he wanted Minseok to basically confirm that Sehun had set Kai up, "uh, coming back any time soon?"

Minseok shook his head and called for Kai to follow him inside as he walked out of sight and back to what Kai assumed must be their kitchen. "He's out of town, actually," Minseok clarified. "Had to make a last minute trip for his internship."

_Yep_ , Kai thought, his mind a bundle of confusion as he tried to process what exactly was going on, Sehun had _definitely_ set him up.

"But, but," Kai stuttered as he stepped into the kitchen and went to lean against a counter so as to get out of Minseok's way. "He texted me less than twenty minutes ago asking me to drop by with these." Kai looked away as he had up the notes, trying to concentrate on something other than the naked skin at Minseok's back as he glanced up over his shoulder from where he was reloading a cookie tray.

"Sorry, Kai," Minseok apologized again, looking sheepish as if he knew what his boyfriend was up to. "But he left last night. It's no problem though!" Minseok smiled cheerfully and Kai immediately felt better about the whole situation. Sehun's boyfriend held out a hand. "You can just give it to me."

Right then, Kai wanted nothing more than to "give it" to Minseok, and it would probably be quite obvious once again if Minseok happened to glance down at Kai's crotch for even a second. Which he did.

"Omo!" Minseok was blushing as he dropped his hand in surprise, accidentally managing to hit the hot cookie sheet and burn his palm in the process. "Damn it!"

That was the first time Kai had heard Minseok truly swear, and he felt his pants tighten even more by how sexy it was. Kai wasn't sure if Minseok would want his help since Kai's arousal was so blatantly visible, so he stayed away. When the other student started to whimper, though, lips quivering as he tried to hold back tears, Kai rushed forward to turn on the cold water before ushering Minseok to the sink.

"Let that run over it for a while," he directed. When Minseok grimaced and tried to pull away, Kai grabbed the other male by his wrist and put his hand back under the faucet. "It's cold, I know, but trust me, it helps."

They were standing quite close at that point, Minseok with his hand in the sink and Kai right behind, feeling the heat of Minseok's bare back as he kept the other's hand under the water; definitely close enough that if Kai could feel Minseok's involuntary shiver in reaction to the the cold, Minseok could feel Kai's own involuntary reaction probably just as easily.

"Sorry." Kai meant it sincerely but his voice came out a little huskier than usual and right into Minseok's ear, too, so when Minseok shivered again, Kai had a pretty good idea why. "Sorry."

To Kai's surprise, though, instead of pulling away like Kai imagined any non-available person in a relationship should have, Minseok thrust his hips back a little in a grinding movement that was a lot like they way they'd danced together, back at the club. Kai stood frozen in shock behind Minseok as he did this, but felt an instantaneous rush of heat when Minseok turned his head to look up at Kai through his lashes and say, "I'm not."

If Kai had left the day before as quickly as possible without being rude, today he didn't even bother with niceties—or putting on his shoes—and instead booked it out of the apartment before Minseok could really even turn around to watch him go.

"I think I scared him off," Minseok worried later as he talked with Sehun over the phone. "I was really only wearing an apron and those lingerie shorts you like. Maybe I came on to strong?"

Sehun's moan crackled through the speakers; he knew from experience how amazing Minseok looked in that kind of outfit. "Not possible," he disagreed, wishing he were back home to have seen his boyfriend's actions for himself—stupid dance internship that sent him to Busan in the middle of a school week to track down one last student for their scholarship program.

Minseok made a noise that told Sehun his boyfriend was still kind of skeptical. "Don't worry about it, Minnie," Sehun consoled him confidently. "Next time, he'll come to us."

"If there even is a next time," Minseok muttered forlornly before changing the conversation ever so slightly. "You were right about his dick, though, babe," Minseok told Sehun. "That thing is _huge_."


	6. It's So Typical of Me to Think About Myself, I'm Sorry

Sehun ended up being right—as always—even though this time his prediction took much longer than even he could have imagined. It took so long, in fact, that he was occasionally consumed with an intense feeling of guilt for saying anything about Kai in the first place. This was particularly true when Minseok sighed forlornly while grading some class of poor freshmen's papers. Or while snuggled up against Sehun's chest as they watched a random documentary about mating lions on the Discovery Channel. Or while making cookies—which he did whenever he was sad and was more of a hint to Sehun of his boyfriend's feelings than anything else might have been. It was at those times that Sehun kissed the top of his boyfriend's head and rubbed his lips soothingly across Minseok's hair in a silent apology that Sehun knew Minseok understood.

"Trust me," he whispered every time as he placed another kiss somewhere else on Minseok's body—sometimes on his forehead, or on his shoulder, or on the jawline that was becoming way too defined as Minseok worried more and ate less. But most often Sehun's kisses landed squarely on Minseok's pouting lips and Sehun often wondered with a shuddering breath into those kisses, "How could anyone possibly resist you?" Those words usually did a lot to assuage Minseok's fears of inferiority or embarrassment as he questioned whether he really did come on too strong that last time and scare Kai away.

When that wasn't enough and Minseok remembered his and Sehun's promise to always tell each other when something was bothering them, Minseok was sometimes forced to voice those self-deprecating questions into the lust-tinged air, his voice small and his cheeks expanded as far as they could go in his contemplation. On occasion he'd remember that Sehun was hurting too and in those moments he tried saying things that got both of their minds off the issue. Except Minseok had an unfortunate tendency to let his mouth run faster than his brain, so there was one particular instance when what he said didn't avoid the subject at all and actually just made it worse. Sort of.

Minseok took of the reading glasses that he honestly didn't need but liked the looks he got from Sehun when he wore them and dropped them on the desk so he could rub tiredly at his eyes without obstacle. He looked over the stack of books he needed to read as preliminary research for his master's thesis and sighed.

The noise caught Sehun's attention where he was avoiding responsibility and watching Running Man sprawled out on the bed. He knew that the pile of reading was increasing more than decreasing and that could make anyone discouraged but Sehun knew the look in Minseok's eyes too and could tell that Kai was somewhere on his boyfriend's mind again. Crawling across the comforter to where he could scramble off the bed, Sehun stood behind Minseok after a moment and followed the usual protocol. Kisses into Minseok's hair. Kisses against Minseok's cheek and earlobe and neck and nape. Kisses against Minseok's mouth once the elder stopped sighing and turned his head toward Sehun's to get a better angle for their lips to meet. And as always, "Trust me, Minseok. Trust me."

"Why?" Minseok whined feeling particularly petulant. "How can you be so sure?"

Sehun pulled away just enough to separate their mouths and rubbed his nose in a gentle nuzzle against Minseok's. "Do you even understand how beautiful you are?"

His question made Minseok flush deeply. Sehun often complimented him, but one as sincere as that was special nonetheless and Minseok's heart savored the words even as his mouth began to move again, this time without permission.

"And that makes me irresistible?" Skepticism was all over his tone but Sehun's reply was an immediate hum of agreement at his boyfriend's neck that vibrated pleasantly against Minseok's pulse. It was almost distracting enough, but not quite.

"Then why isn't Kai here?" He wondered. "You said he'd come to us. Why hasn't he?" Minseok wasn't being accusatory exactly, but there was enough venom for his brain to frantically yell "Stop, STOP!" as his mouth continued digging Minseok into an even deeper hole.

Sehun had no answer for the questions Minseok asked him. "Strength of will, maybe? Self-defeating stubbornness?"

Honestly Minseok didn't know either; if he did he wouldn't be asking.

"Well you're going to have to find out," he told his boyfriend suddenly, full of conviction. "If Kai can resist me—can resist us—then you can too."

Sehun's head snapped up from where his mouth was planting a row of bruises into Minseok's collarbone. "What?"

Their eyes met and Minseok was completely serious, regretting what he said but deciding there was no point in take backs. Maybe something good could come of his ultimatum.

"No sexy times for you until Kai comes back to us." Minseok's voice was final and he brushed haphazardly at Sehun to move him back into a non-distracting proximity so Minseok could go back to reading.

"That means no sex for you either," Sehun pointed out with a pout. "You realize that, right?"

Minseok shot his boyfriend a look. "Duh. I'm not going to make you suffer alone. Operation Classmate Seduction is something we both agreed that we want, so it's got to be something we both actively pursue."

He sighed again and Sehun just wanted to smother Minseok in kisses but wasn't sure if that fell under "sexy times" or not. He risked one peck anyway and got playfully smacked for his troubles as Minseok laughed.

"I'm tired of wallowing," Minseok continued after a smiling moment while Sehun resituated himself on the bed. "I was perfectly happy with you before Kai and with a little work I honestly think we can be that happy again without him. But I want this and don't think I haven't seen your slumped shoulders when you come home from class and he wasn't there. You want this too. So let's make it happen."

Sehun groaned but wasn't really mad. Minseok was right. It would suck to be without sweet kisses from Minseok for a little while, but when Sehun considered the hopeful outcome—kisses from not only Minseok but Kai too—he figured maybe the sacrifice was worth it. At least, he hoped so.


	7. Don't Be Shy

Kai came to them eventually, but it took another week and no small amount of effort on Minseok and Sehun’s parts. Mostly just Minseok’s though, because the dance department had just started an intensive month of training for its potential scholarship recipients and Sehun, as their sole intern, was forced to shoulder the brunt of the work. He came home every night looking exhausted and worn down; it occurred to Minseok that even if he hadn’t instituted a ban on sexy times until they got Kai back, Sehun would probably have been too tired for anything more than a few kisses anyway.

So that’s what Minseok gave his boyfriend whenever he got the chance—self-inflicted abstinence be damned. He gave Sehun verbal encouragement too and left sweet notes of “Fighting!” or “XOXO” to be found by Sehun in the many pockets of the dancer’s practice duffle.

“I got this,” Minseok told Sehun the Tuesday morning after the third Monday in a row when Kai hadn’t been to his and Sehun’s shared physiology class. He tiptoed to kiss Sehun on the nose cutely and sent his boyfriend off to school with a light pat on the ass. Sehun’s answering smile was a little shaded by what Minseok correctly read as weariness tinged with borderline despair. Sehun, Minseok could tell, was starting to doubt himself, though he still maintained his resolute “Trust me” whenever Minseok felt the need to wallow.

“I got this,” Minseok repeated to his boyfriend’s retreating back. “Trust _me_.”

Sehun couldn’t hear him, obviously, but Minseok wasn’t worried. He had a plan, a sort of second phase to Operation Classmate Seduction that could be done on his own such that Sehun wouldn’t have to do anything other than reap the benefits—namely Kai. Minseok nodded once to himself, resolve strong, then went to get dressed for the day ahead.

It was chilly and getting colder as the year drew to a close, but Minseok’s heart was warm enough to keep himself from freezing in the mid-thigh shorts and loose, see-through, dancer sweater he’d stolen from Sehun’s side of the closet. He’d made himself one last cup of coffee before leaving the house, and the emanating heat of the caffeinated drink through the portable beverage container helped too. Well, that and the appreciative looks Minseok got as he made his way across campus to the same café where he and Kai had officially met. Minseok knew he looked good—had made sure of it before even thinking about leaving the dorm—but it was nice to know that others agreed with his assessment, especially since his apparently irresistible appearance had worked successfully on Kai before—and would hopefully do so again.

Minseok made it to the café in record time and, when he arrived, went right up to the dimpled barista behind the counter. “You’re Yixing,” he told, rather than asked, the man. Yixing nodded in confirmation but it wasn’t necessary—Minseok had done his research. “You’re a dance major,” he continued spewing facts. Yixing nodded again, eyebrow raised. “And you’re friends with Kai,” Minseok concluded after a moment in which he decided that he was willing to step past his dread of human interaction if Kai was involved.

“Oh.” Yixing looked, finally, like he understood what was happening; Minseok had the distinct impression that comprehension wasn’t an expression Yixing’s face usually conveyed, particularly since the furrowed brow of Kai’s friend was completely line free as if Yixing rarely had occasion to wrinkle it. “You’re the tiny cute one!” Yixing gave Minseok a blank once over, then snickered. “Lace shorts.”

Minseok colored noticeably but wouldn’t allow Yixing’s amusement to deter him; he was doing this for Kai and Sehun, after all, not just for himself. Instead of succumbing to the shyness, it was with great effort that Minseok widened his gaze, curved his lips up into a smile, and threw out a V sign; the overall effect was adorable and Minseok knew it. Yixing knew it too, because he winked devilishly at Minseok and teased, “Are you sure you want Kai? I’m available.”

“Shut up, Xing,” Minseok heard from behind him. A heated grip on his wrist confirmed what he’d hoped: Kai was there, in the café, just like Minseok had counted on him to be. “He has a boyfriend,” Kai added, resigned.

Turning around, wrist still in Kai’s hold, Minseok curled his smaller body into Kai’s side. “I could have two,” he flirted before he could reconsider the direct approach and stop himself. He bit his lip then, once he remembered that he wasn’t supposed to come on so strong this time.

Regardless, Kai said nothing to this and merely groaned, though in aggravation or appreciation Minseok didn’t know. He hadn’t missed, after all, Kai’s sharp intake of breath at Minseok’s outfit, nor the soft way Kai’s gaze lingered along the lines of Minseok’s flashing collarbone and the pale skin of Minseok’s thighs.

“We miss you,” Minseok whispered into Kai’s shoulder. Yixing was completely forgotten at this point, and when Minseok moved his head slightly closer to Kai’s and his breath accidentally blew hot against Kai’s neck, Kai actually moaned. Appreciation, then, Minseok decided, but also perhaps damning self-restraint; Sehun, at least, would never have been able to resist as long as Kai had, _especially_ since Minseok had made sure to wear something that he knew _both_ dancers would like.

“Please,” Kai choked out, his voice low and desperate. Minseok only pressed closer and watched with satisfaction as Kai swallowed hard.

“Please what?” Minseok teased dangerously. “What do you want?”

Minseok expected Kai to break then and there in the café, giving in to his desire for Minseok—and Sehun by association. He expected a husky “You; I want you,” as he trailed his lips across Kai’s jawline and leaned into the dancer’s body for support since Kai was easily as tall as Sehun and kissing him required the use of Minseok’s tiptoes. Minseok hadn’t expected Kai to growl suddenly and tug him by the wrist away from the counter and all the way out the door. The touch was no less gentle for all the dragging Kai did of Minseok as the shorter hurried to keep up with Kai’s long legs striding quickly back to Minseok and Sehun’s shared living space. And even if it weren’t gentle, even if Kai’s emotions were finally getting the better of him and that translated to an unintentional bruise left on the unblemished white of Minseok’s small wrist, Minseok didn’t think he would have cared.

Things hadn’t happened exactly as Minseok might have planned with the 2.0 version of his and Sehun’s seduction operation, but Kai’s resolve was breaking at last and a quick glance at his watch told Minseok that when they soon reached the apartment, Sehun would be there, home after classes and before work, to see it too.


	8. With My Paper Heart, Please Be Gentle

Even with Minseok in tow, Kai arrived at the other two’s shared dorm from the café in less time than it had taken Minseok to walk to the café in the first place. Kai probably had his long legs to thank for that, Minseok mused as he settled back against Sehun’s chest and took in the lengthy lines of Kai’s body with barely concealed appreciation. The other dancer was sitting stiffly in the apartment’s lone recliner, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that Sehun had been seated entirely alone on the couch when Kai had dragged Minseok inside, yet Minseok had registered the available space and chosen to sit on his boyfriend’s lap anyway.

“Long time no see,” Sehun remarked into the heavy silence, threading his arms around Minseok’s waist and resting his chin on his boyfriend’s slight shoulder to look at Kai more directly. His gaze was intensely focused and made Kai squirm noticeably, especially when Sehun tilted his head slightly to the side and asked “Why?”

When Minseok shuddered at the movement of Sehun’s lips on his neck as he spoke, Kai’s fists clenched in his lap and he closed his eyes to breathe deeply for a moment before opening them again. Minseok, slightly more empathetic by nature, registered Kai’s struggle for composure—that and the worn pillow Kai was using to try and subtly cover his crotch—and he patted one of Sehun’s hands resting on his stomach.

The longer Kai remained mute, the tighter Sehun’s hold on Minseok became, so when Minseok suggested gently “Maybe Kai wants some water first. Sehun-ah, how about you go get something for him to drink?” he did it for everyone’s benefit. Sehun acquiesced easily—like Minseok had known he would—and pecked his boyfriend’s cheek before rising from the couch with Minseok cradled in his arms. Dropping the smaller male into Kai’s lap without comment, Sehun disappeared into the kitchen and left the other two alone.

As soon as the blonde boy was out of sight, Kai sprang into action, roughly pushing Minseok off his thighs so he could stand. “I can’t—I—” he breathed out, voice as shaky as his resolve when Minseok began to cry.

“Don’t you like me?” Minseok whimpered, not bothering to keep his anguish subdued since Sehun’s errand to get drinks was largely an excuse and Minseok knew his boyfriend was listening attentively.

Kai sighed and ran a calloused hand through his hair. The movement had his biceps rippling pleasantly in a way that would have had Minseok drooling if he weren’t currently so upset.

“You don’t?” Minseok prompted. “But I thought—at the club? And then with Sehun and when I burnt my hand and—” His words halted as Minseok became too choked up too continue. Kai couldn’t help himself then and sat heavily back down into the armchair, arms around Minseok to drag the other boy with him.

“Shh,” he whispered into Minseok’s hair as he cried hard on Kai’s shoulder. “You’re right. I do like you. Both of you. A lot, okay?” Minseok’s tears slowed at that and he looked up at Kai through glistening eyelashes in skeptical disbelief when Kai added under his breath “Too much, probably.”

Sehun chose that moment to step out from the kitchen so he could lean with his arms crossed over his chest against the wall. If Kai noticed that the other’s hands were conspicuously empty of refreshments, he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, Sehun confessed “We like you too, Kai. Both of us. And more than just a lot, okay?”

Minseok nodded his agreement into Kai’s collar bone and for the first time in more than a month, Kai finally felt at peace with his feelings because even though Minseok and Sehun now knew Kai’s dirty little secret—that he somehow liked them _both_ —they were okay with it. Kai had never imagined—not even in his deepest, darkest dreams—that such a thing were possible; and now, as he sat with his arms around Minseok and his gaze held tenderly by Sehun’s own, not only was that desperate hope _possible_ , it was becoming real.


	9. If Your Heart Was a House I'd Be Home

“I had the flu,” Kai admitted into the vulnerable silence following Sehun’s reciprocating confession. They had all shifted to sit cuddled up against one another on the couch and when Kai spoke his words were hot puffs of air that lightly stirred the hair on the top of Minseok’s hair into movement. “The last couple of weeks,” he clarified, “I wasn’t in class because I had the flu.”

“That first week, though…?” Sehun prompted, his voice trailing off into an unfinished question that had Kai blushing and looking away.

“I was avoiding you,” he nodded, filling the gap in Sehun’s words with the answer that both Minseok and Sehun had expected. “You were my friend,” he told Sehun slowly, “and here I was half-contemplating sleeping with your boyfriend while you were away and I didn’t want to be that person. And I didn’t want you to see me as that person, so I just thought it’d be easier if you didn’t see me at all.”

“I was the one attempting to seduce you!” Minseok reminded Kai, clearly agitated that the whole situation had gotten so out of control. Surprisingly, Kai chuckled at that and the smile Sehun gave them both was incredibly fond.

“With my agreement, of course,” he added, wanting to reinforce the idea that _both_ of them were interested in Kai.

“Of course,” Minseok echoed, turning in his spot on Kai’s lap to face the younger boy with a smile. “We called it Operation Classmate Seduction.” He winked at Kai when he tried to hiding his face in embarrassment behind Sehun’s shoulder, “And here you are!”

“I wish you’d have let us take care of you when you were sick though,” Sehun murmured thoughtfully, his words soft and suddenly somber. “I don’t like thinking about you being ill with no one to make you soup and keep you hydrated.”

“Or to tuck you in and keep you warm when you sleep,” Minseok continued where his boyfriend left off and reached out a hand to brush against Sehun’s cheek. “We were worried,” he chided gently, even as Sehun caught his hand to peck the top and Kai’s hold around his waist tightened.

Kai wanted to apologize—wanted to say “I’m sorry I put you through that” and promise that it wouldn’t happen again—but he had to know something first. “Why?” he asked, voice trembling with emotion. “Why were you worried? Wanting to sleep with me doesn’t equate to wanting to make sure I’m okay. You have each other,” he pointed out gruffly. “What do you want me for?”

“You’re right,” Sehun answered evenly. He reached with the hand that wasn’t holding Minseok’s to capture Kai’s and bring all three of their hands together between them. It was supposed to be a gesture of comfort, and Minseok noticed with a small smile as Sehun absentmindedly rubbed his thumb in steady movements over the pad of Kai’s palm. “At first we did just want to sleep with you. You’re hot and you admitted the very first time any of us met that you not only found Minseok attractive, but me too.”

Kai didn’t bother denying the truth of that, but he did blush brightly enough to pull an appreciative coo from Minseok over how cute Kai looked when being bashful.

“And you’re cute in class, too,” Sehun supplied. “Being all studious and stuff.”

“And we tried _so hard_ to make you want us like we wanted you,” Minseok told Kai. “But you weren’t responding even though it was obvious that you were interested—”

“The Seok-Sposé,” Kai interrupted with a mutter under his breath that had Sehun chuckling and Minseok raising an eyebrow while looking adorably confused.

“Anyway,” Minseok kept going, “We admired your self-restraint and your respect for the monogamy of our relationship.”

“Even though that self-restraint was damning and you apparently didn’t care that I was inserting myself with bumbling idiocy to try and make that monogamy nonexistent?” Kai sounded skeptical and the lip he pulled between his teeth was invitingly pink. In other words, it was too tempting for Sehun to ignore and he closed the distance between their mouths with a happy sigh.

“Yes,” he agreed as he pulled away from Kai to press a smiling kiss against Minseok’s forehead and return to his original position. “Even then.”

Minseok turned to face Kai again and unceremoniously planted his own peck against the other boy’s plump lips. “You’re a good guy,” he complimented sweetly. “Us falling for you was kind of inevitable, really.”

Kai seemed to like that because he pulled Minseok closer to his chest while simultaneously snuggling both of their bodies right up against the warmth of Sehun’s side. “I’m glad,” he whispered in quiet contentment.

“Mhmm,” Minseok hummed in agreement with his face buried in the tiny crevice between the two taller boys’ shoulders.

Sehun concurred and leaned his head back against the couch with a peaceful sigh. “Us too.”


End file.
